Atlanta Dragway Summit ET Event

WILSON TAKES OUT MORRIS IN DOUBLE DEAD-ON PRO FINAL

By: Amy Glover

(Commerce, GA – July 25) Hardcore racers came out despite the pavement-melting temperatures today, to defend their points rankings and enjoy the clear weather. The finals were mostly foul-free, with some close runs to determine victory. The father and son team of Rickey and Mickey Morris had a pretty good evening, with both making it to the final round in their respective classes.

The Super Pro finals featured Don Brown, Jr. (Buford, GA), his ’03 Spitzer dragster up against Jon Thomas (Covington, GA) in a ’72 Nova. Thomas had the handicap, cutting a .033 light on a 6.42 dial; Brown left the line with an impressive .004 reaction time, chasing Thomas to meet his 4.79 prediction. Thomas’ Nova lost the groove mid-track, causing him to lift for a 6.48 ET at 106.66 mph, while Brown triggered the win light in 4.82 seconds at 133.18 mph. Brown felt he had finally gotten past “the fourth round blues,” overdue for a win with his hard-working team. Brown thanked ‘the crew,’ his girlfriend Tiffany, Tim and Zack Corbin, and his dad Don Brown, Sr., for all their help – Senior had lent him a fuel pump. Brown dedicated the win to the late Eric “Buford Heavy” Duncan and his wife Beverly. Ricky Page (Monroe, GA) was the Super Pro semi-finalist, in a ’90 Mustang.

The Pro final was between Sue Wilson (’85 S-10 Pick-up – Tallapoosa, GA) and Rickey Morris (’80 Malibu – Ellenwood, GA), and proved to be the night’s most exciting round. Wilson left the line first, with a .031 reaction on a 7.28 dial-in, Morris following closely with a .050 green light on a 6.94 dial-in. The pair sped down the track, neck-and-neck, until Wilson crossed the win-stripe first, dead-on at 87.47 mph. Morris also ran dead-on, at 100.37 mph, giving Wilson a .018 second margin-of-victory. Wilson said she had “several close runs” to make it to the finals, and thanked her husband “for getting me into this,” as well as her crew, and her kids. Stephen Daniel (’82 S-10 Pick-up – Covington, GA) placed third in the Pro category.

Cumming’s Mel Abney competed in the Sportsman final in his ’67 Camaro, against Mickey Morris (Ellenwood, GA) in a ’98 Firebird. Both were dialed fairly close together – Morris with an 8.20 second prediction next to Abney’s 8.37 dial-in. Abney left the starting line with a .022 green, as Morris jumpstarted with a -.013 red-light, automatically handing the win to Abney. Morris finished out the run in 7.78 seconds, at 90.89, Abney finishing with an 8.43 ET at 85.15 mph. Abney commented on the quality of runs today: “The competition was real tough, each round was pretty much heads-up – it was a challenging day.” Abney thanked all his fellow racers pulling for him in the finals. “It’s motivating for me,” Abney said of his racing buddies. Allen Long (Ballground, GA) finished his night in the semi-finals, in a ’96 Silverado.

Athens’ motorcycle machine Jay “Bird” Rhyne defended his points lead in the semi-final round on an ’87 Kawasaki against Jeff Shropshire, of Dallas, GA, on an ’08 Kawasaki. Shropshire’s Kawasaki was dialed for a 6.02 ET, next to Rhyne’s slightly quicker prediction of 5.81 seconds. Shropshire treed Rhyne at the start, with a .018 green against Rhyne’s .028 reaction. The race was tight, but Shropshire took hold of the win with a 6.03 ET at 115.03 mph, and Rhyne finished with a 5.86 second run at 116.72 mph. Shropshire smiled proudly, saying, “You beat Jay, then you’ve done good.” He also thanked his family, “for letting me come.” Dennis Johnson (Comer, GA) went out in the semi-finals, on an ’00 Suzuki.

A re-run of last weekend’s 8-12 Junior Dragster final took place, with points leader Chris Bowden (13 – Homer, GA) alongside Hunter James (10 – Cartersville, GA), who came back for a little revenge. James had a slight handicap with his 9.50 dial-in, next to Bowden’s 8.98 dial-in, but left the Christmas tree with a .136 green, a slow start beside Bowden’s .014 launch. Bowden’s light determined the race, crossing the finish first in 9.03 seconds at 66.65 mph. James finished in 9.53 second at 66.79 mph, giving Bowden a .104 margin-of-victory. Bowden, who again took care of his own dial-in times, gained a 60 point lead in first place in the 8-12 Junior championship ranking, earning his success with consistent hard work. He thanked God first for his racing, and his mom and dad for letting him compete. Daulton Rogers (11 – Hiawassee, GA) was the sole semi-finalist.

The 13-17 Junior Dragster final was a close run, Blake Griffith (15 – Homer, GA) running against Valerie Clements (16 – Central, SC). Clements was dialed at 7.98 seconds, Griffith close with a 7.93 dial-in. Clements gave Griffith the advantage with a .113 reaction, Griffith leaving the line with a .042 reaction time. Clements crossed the finish a bit too quickly, breaking out with a 7.95 ET at 82.39 mph, while Griffith ran dead-on at 80.95 mph, earning a .03 margin-of-victory. Points leader Bailey Denton (15 – McDonough, GA) and John Gordon (14 – Hiram, GA) finished their day in the semi-final round.